Informing Science Institute

PAPER PUBLISHED: Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice (August 2025) TITLE: What Interventions Improve the Effectiveness of Technology-Facilitated Peer Assessment? A Meta-Analysis DOI: https://lnkd.in/eQbmFgtK AUTHORS: Kistantia Elok Mumpuni, Samsul Hadi, Slamet Suyanto   AIM/PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aims to examine the effect size of various interventions in technology-facilitated peer assessment of learning performance. Furthermore, it aims to identify and recommend effective peer assessment interventions that highlight opportunities for enhancing peer assessment practices and support the strategic implementation of interventions to optimize learning performance. FINDINGS: The analysis revealed an effect size of 0.31 [95% CI: 0.230–0.413], confirming the positive impact of well-designed interventions in technology-facilitated peer assessment compared to alternative or minimal intervention. These interventions enhance key elements such as rubric comprehension, feedback quality, evaluative autonomy, and self-reflection, leading to improved learning outcomes. Effective settings prioritize process-oriented strategies, reciprocal roles, individually allocated feedback, and input from a single peer, while allowing for adaptation based on the characteristics of students, instructors, school contexts, and instructional content. #InformingScienceInstitute;#PeerAssessment

PAPER PUBLISHED: Journal of Information Technology Education: Research (August 2025) TITLE: A Model for the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Inclusive Education: An Exploratory Study of Key Factors and Expert Insights DOI: https://lnkd.in/eg9pRCmM AUTHORS: Kok Weng Ma, Rexado Pramudita Julianton, Xian Yang Chan, Yong Teng Chai, Muaadh Mukred, Mikkay Wong Ei Leen, Abdu H. Gumaei   AIM/PURPOSE:  This study adopts a mixed-method approach to examine the factors influencing the adoption of AI-based assistive technologies among students with special needs. Specifically, it explores the roles of social support, motivation, digital literacy, and self-efficacy in shaping students’ perceptions and behavioral intentions toward these technologies within inclusive education settings. FINDINGS:  The findings from the quantitative analysis indicate that social support and motivation significantly enhance perceived usefulness, while digital literacy and self-efficacy significantly enhance perceived ease of use. Both usefulness and ease of use substantially affect intention toward adopting assistive technology. Additionally, the qualitative findings reveal key themes emphasizing user-friendly designs, contextual adaptability, ethical considerations, and AI’s potential to promote student autonomy.    #InformingScienceInstitute;#AIassistedTechnology

PAPER PUBLISHED: Informing Science: The International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline (August 2025) TITLE: Public Awareness and Perception of the Smart City Concept in Kuwait: Evaluating Its Six Key Dimensions DOI: https://lnkd.in/emAQ7rVp AUTHORS: Basil Alzougool, Sumayya Banna   AIM/PURPOSE:  This study explored public perceptions of the smart city concept in Kuwait and assessed their understanding of its features and dimensions. FINDINGS:  The results revealed that just under half of the participants had some understanding of Smart Cities, reflecting moderate community awareness. More than a third of those aware believe their city is working towards becoming smart. However, over half of the respondents are unaware of the concept, indicating a significant knowledge gap. Among the unaware, more than a quarter think local authorities have made efforts to inform the public. Despite this, over three-quarters are interested in learning about Smart Cities, and two-thirds want to engage in city development decisions through digital platforms, demonstrating a potential for public involvement in smart city initiatives. Respondents strongly associate the six key dimensions with the Smart City concept, ranking their importance as follows: smart governance, smart mobility, smart environment, smart living, smart economy, and smart people. The most frequent activities were observed in smart people, smart economy, and smart living. Improvement needs are diverse, with frequent calls for enhancement in smart environment, smart living, and smart mobility. The results also reveal notable variations in the perceived importance of the dimensions and their correlations with the Smart City concept based on employment status, age, and education.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#SmartCity

PAPER PUBLISHED: International Journal of Doctoral Studies (August 2025) TITLE: Swimming Against the Current: Latinx Doctoral Student Experiences Through a Bioecological Lens DOI: https://lnkd.in/e7GvZbHe AUTHORS: Stephen Santa-Ramirez, Venus Israni, Iman Lathan AIM/PURPOSE:  This study investigates how Latinx doctoral students in the Southwest region of the United States experience and navigate doctoral education at a historically white institution (HWI), with attention to the social contexts and systems that shape their persistence and belonging. Despite growing interest in diversity in graduate education, the structural and relational challenges faced by Latinx students remain underexamined.   FINDINGS:  Faculty relationships often lacked culturally sustaining mentorship. Students experienced tension when cultural identities clashed with academic expectations. Family, home communities, and sociopolitical climates indirectly influenced their academic engagement. Institutional norms often reinforce whiteness and meritocracy, undermining Latinx knowledge and presence. Over time, student-led organizations provided belonging and resistance amid shifting political contexts.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#DoctoralEducation

PAPER PUBLISHED: Journal of Information Technology Education: Research (August 2025) TITLE: Unpacking the Impact of Writing Task Complexity, Use of Digital Tools, and Engagement Strategies on University Students’ Academic Writing Performance DOI: https://lnkd.in/e2N2ABNw AUTHORS: Falentinus Ndruru, Bambang Yudi Cahyono, Mala Rovikasari, Dyah Fitri Mulati   AIM/PURPOSE:  This study aims to investigate how writing task complexity, digital tools, and writing engagement strategies impact students’ academic writing performance, identifying their direct and mediated effects.   FINDINGS:  The results revealed significant positive effects of writing task complexity directly affecting academic writing performance (β=0.363), writing engagement strategies (β=0.560), and use of digital tools (β=0.694). Furthermore, use of digital tools significantly influenced writing performance (β=0.222) and engagement strategies (β=0.278), while engagement strategies notably affected academic writing performance (β=0.294). These findings underscore that appropriately structured complex tasks, enhanced by digital support and active engagement strategies, significantly bolster students’ academic writing capabilities.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#AcademicWriting

PAPER PUBLISHED: Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management (August 2025) TITLE: Design and Validation of a Knowledge Management Model Aimed at Enhancing Business Performance in Knowledge-Based Enterprises: The Case of Iran DOI: https://lnkd.in/e4kFXkZH AUTHORS: Zeynab Hatami, Zahra Razmi, Hadis Amiri Zadeh   AIM/PURPOSE:  To design and validate a knowledge management model to improve business performance in knowledge-based enterprises (KBEs).   FINDINGS:  The findings indicate that the implementation of the knowledge management model can significantly improve the performance of knowledge-based enterprises in Iran. This model focuses on enhancing knowledge repositories, streamlining business processes, and strengthening competitive capabilities. Key factors influencing knowledge management include managerial leadership, knowledge workers, a knowledge-oriented culture, and organizational learning. The knowledge management infrastructure in these enterprises acts as a foundational element, while business support factors and environmental uncertainty serve as mediating variables.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#KnowledgeManagement

PAPER PUBLISHED: Journal of Information Technology Education: Research (August 2025) TITLE: Digital Escape Rooms to Develop Computational Thinking: Learning Analytics in Science Club DOI: https://lnkd.in/edGDB2ic   AUTHORS: Gloria Concepcion Tenorio-Sepulveda, Amadeo José Argüelles-Cruz, Rogelio Hernandez-Lopez, Maria Soledad Ramirez-Montoya   AIM/PURPOSE:  The objective of this study was to identify the elements of learning analytics and the characteristics that digital escape rooms should have in order to promote the development of computational thinking in challenging environments.   FINDINGS:  The physical and logical models created can guide the implementation of requirements and database creation when developing educational digital escape rooms. A timeline, event history analysis, and a method examining the sequence of discrete states can measure computational thinking development and identify other high-level competencies in educational digital escape rooms. Essential features of web-based educational digital escape rooms include an adaptive design for optimal visualization and interaction, accessibility across a variety of devices, easy navigation, and challenges that include puzzles and time-limited problems.  #InformingScienceInstitute;#DigitalEscapeRoom

PAPER PUBLISHED: International Journal of Doctoral Studies (August 2025) TITLE: Understanding the Dynamics of International Doctoral Student-Advisor Relationships in Turkish Higher Education DOI: https://lnkd.in/ewyPCvyE AUTHOR: Ünal Deniz   AIM/PURPOSE:  This phenomenological study investigates cross-cultural relationships between international doctoral students and their academic advisors in Turkish universities.   FINDINGS:  Major findings include: (i) meaning-making processes involve transformation of expectations and identity formation, (ii) challenges encompass communication difficulties and academic expectation misalignments, (iii) effective coping strategies include peer networks and proactive skill development, (iv) successful advising relationships transcend cultural accommodation to create intellectual synergies beneficial for both parties.  #InformingScienceInstitute;#DoctoralEducation

PAPER PUBLISHED: Journal of Information Technology Education: Research (August 2025) AUTHORS: Anderson Kevin Gwenhure, SangGyu Nam TITLE: Gamified Cybersecurity Initiatives: The Trend, Limits and Lessons DOI: https://lnkd.in/e4Su9nU5 AIM/PURPOSE:  To evaluate the sustainability of gamified cybersecurity education, training, and awareness (ETA) initiatives by addressing recurring limitations, conceptual misclassifications, and the overlooked influence of novelty and duration.   FINDINGS:  The review reveals that most gamified initiatives are short-term and assessed within the novelty effect window, which may inflate their perceived effectiveness. Only two studies applied established gamification frameworks, highlighting a widespread reliance on improvised designs. Common elements like leaderboards and time pressure often cause unintended negative effects, such as anxiety and disengagement. Additionally, poor reporting on intervention duration and negative outcomes hinders reproducibility. Long-term behavior change remains largely unexamined. By synthesizing these findings, this study offers design guidance and calls for more structured, evidence-based approaches to gamification in cybersecurity.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#Gamification

PAPER PUBLISHED: Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management (August 2025) TITLE: Business Intelligence System Adoption in the Hotel Industry: Identifying Barriers and Actions DOI: https://lnkd.in/eGXfbbKx   AUTHORS: Niko Ibrahim, Putu Wuri Handayani   AIM/PURPOSE:  This paper aims to qualitatively analyze barriers to Business Intelligence (BI) system adoption in Indonesia’s hotel industry from the technological, organizational, and environmental perspectives. This study is expected to thoroughly understand the adoption of BI systems in the hotel industry. Additionally, this study offers details that can assist public administrators or system developers in planning the implementation of BI systems in the hotel industry.   FINDINGS: The findings reveal the current barriers to BI system adoption and the actions to take. The barriers are a lack of regulation, a lack of trust, a lack of data integration, a lack of accuracy, a lack of resources, and a lack of competence.   #InformingScienceInstitute;#BIinHotels